CPL and the Central Square Theater Present: Her Pormanteau (Main)
Written By Mfoniso Udofia and directed by Tasia A. Jones, Her Portmanteau is an explosive story of betrayal and forgiveness, centering on a Nigerian mother in the U.S. and her two daughters who lived very different lives. A reunion forces them to reconcile their past, full of clashing traditions and a family legacy that spans time, culture and generations. Produced by Central Square Theater and The Front Porch Arts Collective. Cosponsored by Cambridge Public Library and the Citizens' Committee on Civic Unity. Registration is required.
Water Board Members
The Cambridge Water Board is a five member board of Cambridge residents appointed by the City Manager, that act in an advisory role to the Managing Director of the Water Department. The Managing Director has full power to make all necessary repairs, extensions or improvements on the works, and to provide new supply pipes. All hydrants, standpipes and drinking fountains, established by the City, shall be constructed, and all repairs upon such hydrants, standpipes and drinking fountains made, and the streets repaired under authority of the Managing Director.
Mental Health First Aid (Main)
Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants to identify, understand and respond to mental health and substance use challenges. The course will cover risk factors and warning signs, an understanding of the impact on individuals, family and community and an overview of treatment interventions. Participants will have an opportunity to learn and practice a five-step action plan to assess a situation, implement interventions and secure appropriate care for the person experiencing a crisis.
Registration info – Registration is now full
For questions or further information please feel free to contact Patty Contente pcontente@cambridgesafety.org 617-528-8726
An Afternoon of Poetry with Several Award-winning Poets (Main)
Join us for an afternoon of great poetry and music, featuring a quintet of acclaimed poets: Robert Carr - winner of the 2024 Rane Arroyo chapbook prize and author of three full length collections; Patrick Donnelly - program director of The Frost Place; Matt Donovan - Director, The Boutelle-Day Poetry Center at Smith College; Richard Michelson - former Poet Laureate, Northampton, MA & recipient of a National Jewish Book Award; Dzvinia Orlowsky - award-winning poet & translator and a founding editor of Four Way Books; plus music by tenor saxophonist Jay Hoffman. This event is cosponsored by Cambridge Public Library. Registration is required.
16-18 Wendell Street
Purchased in July 2024, the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) converted16-18 Wendell Street, a dormitory previously owned by Lesley University, into 22 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH) to serve individuals and couples exiting homelessness in Cambridge. The 16-18 Wendell project was awarded annual funding for services from the Commonwealth through the Massachusetts Shelter and Housing Alliance’s (MHSA) Home and Healthy for Good program. There are four full-time service staff on site. In excellent and in near turn-key condition when purchased, the property began lease-up in Fall 2024, following the completion of some minor renovations to create new office space at the property.
MCBA Book Group (Central Square)
Did you know you can vote for a winner in the Massachusetts Children's Book Award each year? Join us the 1st Wednesday of each month as we read and discuss some of the MCBA nominated books. Cast your vote for your favorite nominated title, right here at the library. This program is for kids in 4th, 5th and 6th grade (or equivalent ages). Registration is required. For more information, please contact jpittel@cambridgema.gov.
This month we're reading Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz (Yearling, 2024).
Limited copies of the book will be available at the Central Square Library.
Pizza will be provided!
This group is currently full.
MCBA Book Group (Central Square)
Did you know you can vote for a winner in the Massachusetts Children's Book Award each year? Join us the 1st Wednesday of each month as we read and discuss some of the MCBA nominated books. Cast your vote for your favorite nominated title, right here at the library. This program is for kids in 4th, 5th and 6th grade (or equivalent ages). Registration is required. For more information, please contact jpittel@cambridgema.gov.
This month we're reading Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller (Philomel, 2024).
Limited copies of the book will be available at the Central Square Library.
Pizza will be provided!
This group is currently full.
O'Connell Branch Book Group (O'Connell)
January selection: Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
Reading Interests: We read mostly contemporary Fiction and Non-Fiction, with forays into older works and classics. Past selections include: Wellness by Nathan Hill, Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward, The Elements of Marie Curie by Dava Sobel, and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.
How to get the print book: Copies of the book are set aside at the O'Connell Branch. Click here for O'Connell Branch Hours
How to get the e-book or digital audiobook: This month’s book is available as a digital audio and e-book through Hoopla.
This book group meets in person at the O'Connell Branch. No registration is needed. Drop-ins welcome.
For more information contact the branch at 617-349-4019.
Summer Reading: Storytelling with Tony Toledo (Main)
Tales from Toledo, Storyteller Tony Toledo that is.
Once upon a time...THE END. You won’t believe what happens in the middle! From "What's in that House?" to "Give me back my Diamond Button!" the middle will be full of fun. Join us for a lively storytelling program for children and their caregivers.
Tony Toledo has been telling stories to pay his rent since the end of the 20th Century. Tony has visited many libraries, told many stories, and passed out many riddle bookmarks. Tony grew up in Ohio, served in the Army, bicycled from Oregon to Virginia, sampled Law School, hosts his annual Corn Party In Beverly and loves peach pie more than chocolate cake.
Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.
RESCHEDULED Defying the Crown in Early Cambridge: The 1664 Petition Campaign and Grassroots Constitutionalism
This event was rescheduled from May 22 and will now take place on May 28.
The new king Charles II sent royal commissioners to New England in 1664 in order to pressure colonists into compliance with his metropolitan agenda. When these royal commissioners tried to claim full authority over local courts and militias, Cambridge inhabitants were among the first to act in defiance. Their grassroots petition campaign drew on the experience of the English civil wars and pointed the way forward to the American Revolution.
Adrian Chastain Weimer is a Professor of History at Providence College and is currently a Long-term Fellow at the John Carter Brown Library. She is the author of A Constitutional Culture: New England and the Struggle against Arbitrary Rule in the Restoration Empire (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023) and Martyrs' Mirror: Persecution and Holiness in Early New England (Oxford University Press, 2011).